Promotions pay off for Ryanair in ticket surge

Low-cost airline Ryanair signalled a recovery in fortunes yesterday after a series of promotions helped bookings surge at the start of this year

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Low-cost airline Ryanair

Low-cost airline Ryanair signalled a recovery in fortunes yesterday after a series of promotions helped bookings surge at the start of this year.

The Dublin-based carrier racked up a loss of £35m (£28.8m) for the final three months of last year as a result of a 9% fall in average fares and currency weakness.

However,
it said the impact of seat promotions and lower fares meant forward bookings in the current quarter and into the new financial year were running significantly ahead of last year, albeit at weaker margins.

The
company, which issued its second profits warning in as many months in November, said it stuck by its previous guidance for profits of around £510 (£420m) in the year to March 31.

Chief
executive Michael O’Leary has attempted to reinvent the image and reputation of Ryanair by relaxing bag restrictions for passengers as well as through a reduction in baggage charges and an easing of booking conditions.

In the last few days it has moved to fully-allocated seating on all flights, meaning that passengers who do not pay £5
(£4.23) to select their seats will be allocated them during the 24 hours prior to the date of departure. It said the policy was in response
to customer feedback. The airline operates more than 1,600 routes from 65 bases and carries in excess of 80 million passengers every year.